An Overview of Arizona Ski Resorts

Four Corners of Fun

There are four major Arizona ski resorts each with something unique to offer:

Arizona Snowbowl

Elk Ridge Ski Resort

Lemmon Ski Valley

Sunrise Park Resort

Arizona Snowbowl

The most famous of the Arizona ski resorts is the Snowbowl, hands-down. It features a total vertical of 2300 feet and 40 runs that sprawl out over 777 acres. There are four aerial chair lifts and two surface lifts that service the mountain, handling over 15,000 skiers per hour. The central triple chairlift, the Agassiz, is 6450 feet long and leads to the upper bowl, home to seven double black diamond runs. The left of the resort is dedicated to beginners, with plenty of easy slopes and fun curves. The mid-mountain covers intermediate skiers, with the longest run stretching out over 2 miles.

There is a nationally certified ski school with lessons available for first-time skiers. Packages are available for one or three-day group lessons that range from $45 to $149. Private lessons are also available at 1-hour, 2-hour, half-day, or full-day rates.

Elk Ridge Ski Resort

Elk Ridge is aimed toward family fun with 12 trails spread over 37 acres. The vertical is a gentle 600 feet, making this resort fun for skiers of all experience levels. This resort also offers tubing for non-skiers. Two ski lifts service this resort. The primary lift makes four stops on its way to the top, each stop providing access to a different tier of trail difficulty. There are five advanced, six intermediate, four beginning, and one tube run.

Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley

Mt. Lemmon is a small ski area on the northeastern side of Mt. Kimball. Two chairlifts and one surface tow service 200 skiable acres with 22 total trails. The longest run takes you on a gentle ambling run along the eastern perimeter of the ski resort. With eight expert, nine intermediate, and five beginner trails, this small resort has something for everyone.

Sunrise Park Resort

While the Snowbowl is the most well known ski resort in Arizona, the largest resort is the Sunrise Park Resort. The resort is located on the northern side of Mt. Baldy near the eastern border. Sunrise features 800 total skiable acres and a vertical footprint of 1800 feet. There are eight total lifts that lead to three different peaks: Sunrise, Cyclone, and Apache. All three have an equitable mix of trail difficulties with some of the longest runs being beginner rated trails that skirt the edges of the park. The park also features an extensive terrain park for freestyle skiing with rails, boxes, and specialized jump hazards.

Your Guide to Arizona Ski Resorts

You can learn more about these Arizona ski resorts with the Arizona Ski Authority. If you don’t find what you’re looking for on these pages, write to us with your questions, and we’ll tell you how you can better plan your trip.